Ken Griffey Jr to Drive the Corvette E-Ray Pace Car at the 108th Indianapolis 500

The 2024 Corvette E-Ray that will pacing this year’s Indianapolis 500 now has a driver and its baseball legend Ken Griffey Jr who will have the honor of leading the field of 33 IndyCar racers to the Green Flag.

The eagerly anticipated announcement was made Monday morning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“Driving the Pace Car and leading the field to start the Indy 500 is one of the coolest experiences,” Griffey said. “I came to the track a few years ago as a photographer and look forward to seeing the race from a different perspective.”

Here’s the bio on Griffey Jr provided by IMS:

Known as “Junior” and “The Kid,” Griffey played 22 years as an outfielder in the Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent the majority of his career with the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, with a short stint with the Chicago White Sox.

The first overall pick in the 1987 draft and a 13-time All-Star, Griffey is one of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history. His 630 home runs rank as the seventh-most in MLB history. Griffey was also an exceptional defender and won 10 Gold Glove Awards in center field. He is tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run (eight, with Don Mattingly and Dale Long).

One of only 31 players in baseball history to have appeared in major league games in four different calendar decades, Griffey was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016. He received 99.32 percent of the vote, breaking pitcher Tom Seaver’s record of 98.84 percent, which had stood for 24 years. He also was inducted into both the Mariners Hall of Fame and the Reds Hall of Fame.

“Every baseball fan knows Ken Griffey Jr.,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “Two legends will come together as Griffey hops into the Corvette E-Ray to lead the field at the Racing Capital of the World.”

Ken Griffey Jr will be driving the first electrified Corvette to pace the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. The E-Ray features the award-winning 6.2-liter 495-hp LT2 V8 engine in the rear of the car while the front wheels are powered by the 160-hp electric motor.

This is the 21st time that the Indianapolis 500 has featured a Corvette pace car. This year’s livery is Arctic White with a bright Red racing stripe down the middle while the traditional Indy 500 decals are affixed to each door.

Source:
IMS.com

Related:
The 2024 Corvette E-Ray is the Official Pace Car for the 108th Indianapolis 500
[VIDEO] Light Show and Cold Start with the 2023 Corvette Z06 Indy 500 Pace Car
[VIDEO] Indy 500 Corvette Pace Car History

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